I read something this morning that once again reminded me of all the goofiness and unpredictability in the wacky world of publishing.
Did you know that the manuscript for J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was originally rejected–by 12 different publishers?!
Twelve!
And I’m not talking agents. This comes after the agents stage, when an agent-backed manuscript is making its way through the industry.
And now the Harry Potter franchise is one of the most valuable in the worI read something this morning that once again reminded me of all the goofiness and unpredictability in the wacky world of publishing.
Did you know that the manuscript for J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was originally rejected–by 12 different publishers?!
Twelve!
And I’m not talking agents. This comes after the agents stage, when an agent-backed manuscript is making its way through the industry.
And now the Harry Potter franchise is one of the most valuable in the world–ever! Just the movies alone surpassed the $4 billion mark, which I believe just passed James Bond as the most successful movie franchise ever. Or something close to it.
And then there’s the publishing end of things!
Publishing is littered with stories like this. One of my favorites is the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. The story I hear is that the original book took 20 years to get published. 20 freakin years! And now it’s a worldwide best seller.
So what does this all mean? It means that just because one person–or even many people–pass on a particular book does not therefore mean that THEY KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING!
Publishing is such a subjective market. Who’s to say what’s a good book or not? Who’s to say who’s a good writer or not? And who’s to say if a book will sell?
The agents and publishers, that’s who. And such is the plight of writer dudes like me, who have to work within a world in which the rules are screwy and change all the time.
Which is both frustrating to no end–and also quite thrilling.
Why thrilling?
Just because one person says no to a book doesn’t therefore mean it’s the right decision. For every no, there could just as easily be 10 yeses. It’s just a matter of finding the right place at the right time, and if you have a book of quality–which Finders Keepers most certainly is–then it’s not a matter of if, but when.
Will today be the day? Tomorrow? Next week? Next month?
Wish I knew. But the day is coming, and in my bones I feel that it’s coming sooner rather than later.
If Chicken Soup for the Soul and Harry Potter–one of the most successful books ever–needed to take their lumps before hitting the big time, then getting knocked around a little bit isn’t such a lousy feeling after all (I’m not saying it’s fun, but still …).
With every moment there is opportunity. And as long as I stay plugged in, keeping the momentum going, staying positive and focused, the day will come when I get to say no to them, instead of the other way around.
